Romania: Mapping Transparency and Participation Online

Abstract

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are at the heart of innovation and economic in Romania and the only industry without job losses since 2008, despite the economic crisis. to the latest national regulatory authority report, the broadband penetration rate had reached 17.12% of inhabitants in December 2011 (as compared to 14.48% in December 2009) and 41.60% of households (with only 35.10% in December 2009). In spite of the steady growth of access to ICT infrastructure, Romania ranks the lowest in the European Union (EU) when it comes to internet use: while in Sweden 91% of the population was connected to the internet at least once a week in 2011, only 37% of Romanians had this opportunity, far below the 68% EU average.

If roughly one third of the country’s population goes regularly online, how much difference does it make to the democratic process in terms of transparency and participation? This report is an attempt to answer this question.

Keywords: internet, transparency, participation, Romania